On September 23rd, political and corporate leaders met at the United Nations in New York City for the Climate Summit 2014. In spite of the global call for environmental/economic justice, the UN climate summit represented yet another step towards the corporate takeover of the UN climate negotiations, and the privatization of land, water and air resources under the guise of a global climate compact. On the same day, System Change Not Climate Change (SCNCC) – Dallas/Fort Worth, the local chapter of SCNCC, the ecosocialist coalition for North America, organized it’s own press conference and rally for climate/economic justice INSIDE Dallas City Hall, in the Flag Room just outside the city’s council chambers.
SCNCC/DFW and its allies who are engaged in addressing environmental/economic injustice here in Dallas and in Texas, served notice to Dallas political “leaders” and the extreme energy corporations (and the business/financier/developer community they serve) that “business as usual” in Dallas politics/business is over. As Gary Stuard, member of SCNCC’s transitional steering committee and local organizer for SCNCC-DFW, stated in SCNCC’s press advisory:
“We, the citizens of Dallas, call on the Mayor, City Council and City Hall to join us as we meet the scale and urgency of the crises facing our communities/state/nation and planet by standing in solidarity with us in our efforts to address the environmental/economic/political and social challenges facing our us, as well as engaging in all frontlines of resistance and resilience around the world, and taking non-violent direct action against the corporations and “politics as usual” driving the extractive economy.
We also call on those residents of Dallas who are concerned, even alarmed, by the worsening crises we and the planet are facing to join us in creative action in developing and implementing local sustainable and just solutions to climate change here in Dallas and in our state. Our demands to local, national and international decision-makers are simple: Support us in building just transitional pathways away from the “dig, burn, dump” economy, and towards “local, living economies” where communities and workers are in charge! Join us in solidarity or get out of our way!”
While only one member of the media was present at the rally,16 different organizations (as well as 30 to 40 supporters being present at the rally) were represented by speakers who expressed solidarity with SCNCC’s mission of actively organizing against those business/financial powers, especially the fossil fuel industries, and their political hitmen, who willingly destroy communities, lives and the planet for profit.
Alliances were made that day will prove to be important in creating a broad based movement for environmental/economic justice here in Dallas and throughout the state. those who spoke were the following: Gary Stuard (System Change Not Climate Change-Dallas/Fort Worth), Debra Beltran (Dallas MoveOn), Colette Flanagan (Mothers Against Police Brutality), Molly Rooke (Dallas Sierra Club), Rosemarie Rieger (Jobs with Justice, the “Don’t Mess with Texas, ALEC” coalition), Dan Sullivan (Dallas Left Alliance), Brett Cease (Citizens Climate Lobby), Cresandra Allen ( Sankofa Science Solutions), Grant Youngman (Dallas Veterans for Peace), Nicholas Burtner (March Against Monsanto/ Dallas), Ishtyme Robinson (Mothers Against Youth Genocide), Jody Voice (Idle No More), Dr. Joerg Rieger (SMU’s Perkins School of Theology), Olinka Green (Cosmic Cover Girl Media) and Leslie Harris (Code Pink/Dallas)
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10203491975998630.1073741994.1190581275&type=1&l=d0e1a7e3c7
City Hall Press Conference & Climate Change Rally
